It is hard to believe we are a day away from the end of January!
How are you doing with the year so far?
What changes have you made?
What changes do you want to make?
What things do you want to do this year?
The polar vortex has put a little damper on this week, however, it has also given us a few minutes to slow down and sit still, or at least I hope you are taking some moments to sit still. This is a great time to contemplate, plot and scheme for your success going forward.
We have been open a good portion of our regular hours this week as other business have chosen to be open, and some have closed.
I was reviewing some things in my life last night as I was trying to figure out whether to be open today or not (we are OPEN!!!!). First off, some of you know and some of you may not know, I lived in Anchorage, Alaska for 3.5 years, I got my bachelors degree at University of Alaska Anchorage. It was an amazing experience just to be up in Alaska, much less get a chance to live there and be able to experience it all. I have a great appreciation for the arctic northern temperatures having to live and work in negatives (-40 for an entire month one winter) for those years.
I watch you all get out of your cars here at the office this week, all bundled up with 1-6 children in tow and I applaud and honor you. It reminds me of getting bundled up to go to class and work at one time. I honor you for taking a moment to make it in to town and stop by our office. I honor you for your commitment to the change you want to make for yourself and your family this year.
If you have cancelled your appointments this week, I honor you for staying home and staying safe and warm, I honor you for respecting that small voice inside that said “not today”. I honor each and every single one of you and I watch as schedules change daily due to school closings. I honor you for being resilient enough to shift and change your days around to be able to manage it all.
We are open because I am going to be here anyway.
We are open because cabin fever is a real thing and has set in for many of you and you need an excuse to get out of the house and go do something.
We are open because our shifts are a little slower but it gives us a chance to catch up on other things, like hanging pictures and signs, getting ahead of the endless paperwork and doing a lot of cleaning.
We are open because we are here to serve you, and not as arctic heroes or something, but because we can make it here to the office and we also know you are doing a lot of extra shoveling and shivering and that there is a little extra stress this week that we can help you with.
We are here for you. We honor you for staying inside your cozy home with your loved ones and hunkering down. We honor you for getting out in the cold and heading this way.
Old Man Winter took his good ol’ precious time getting here this year but came in with a blast! When it warms enough to get outside, I encourage you to do so because I believe one of the healthiest things we can do through the winter months in Michigan is get outside and get some fresh air.
While you are inside of these slower moments, take a glance at what your plans are for this year and make a choice today to move you in the direction you want to go. That can be as simple as grabbing an extra glass of water, taking a few more trips up and down the stairs to get the heart pumping, journalling, reading a book or playing a game of checkers with your child.
Bundle up!!! Stay safe and warm!!! Take a few minutes to evaluate how you are doing now that January is coming to a close and let’s connect soon!!!
